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Australian
Natural Adventures
Extraordinary Journeys By Private Aircraft
WORLD HERITAGE AIRCRUISE CONTINUES
Download a color brochure in pdf form here (3MB) Included are air touring, accommodation in best available properties including Cradle Mountain Lodge and Sails in the Desert at Uluru, additional land tours, 11 breakfasts, 12 lunches & 11 dinners, entrance fees, porterage and Bill Peach Journeys checked and cabin bags. The cost of this exclusive journey is $11,450* per person based on twin share. A single supplement is available for $1382.* Australian Natural Adventures is offering a choice of special offers for this departure if booked with us and paid in full by December 14. •$900*
discount off trip cost Activities pack includes travel by private helicopter for unsurpassed views of the beauty of Cradle Mountain (weather permitting), spectacular aerial flight-seeing of the remote Jim Jim and Twin Falls to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Arnhem Land escarpment and hot air ballooning over the Atherton Tablelands. * Actual cost is $AU12,595 and single supplement is $AU1520; discount and bonus pack are valued at $AU1000. Australian Natural Adventures reserves the right to alter these costs due to significant currency fluctuations. As a full service travel company Australian Natural Adventures can seamlessly arrange your Domestic and International air for your Australian Air Cruise, and naturally provide other Australian Experience opportunities during your stay Down Under.
Please call us tollfree on 1 877 VEGEMITE (834 3648) to book or for more informationformation.
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adu.
Archaeological evidence shows that the Aborigines have occupied the
Kakadu – Arnhem Land areas for at least 25,000 years and probably
much longer. They occupied sites across the lowlands and along the
escarpment, moving between the two areas with the change of seasons.
The cruise highlights the intricate ecology specific to this area,
as well as the Aboriginal aspects of the region with tales of mythology
and stories of land creation and the Dreaming. Kakadu National Park
was placed on the World Heritage List in 1981, and is one of the most
important national parks in Australia. Its cultural significance dates
back tens of thousands of years while its geographical significance
was born out of earth movements more than a million years ago. At
Ubirr Rock we discover ancient Aboriginal art ‘galleries’,
with paintings dating back to prehistoric times. The rock art in Kakadu
is among the finest in
the world, and represents a close personal and spiritual relationship
between the Aborigines and the environment. For lunch today we undertake
a special 4WD journey onto the floodplains of Kakadu and Arnhem Land.
Depart Jabiru and travel north on the Oenpelli Road. The scenery here
is spectacular, with its high rugged escarpment, eucalypt woodland
and Magela wetlands. Leaving the bitumen highway, cross over the floodway
on the fa
mous
East Alligator River and enter mystical Arnhem Land. This land is
owned exclusively by the Aboriginal people and restricted entry is
allowed only on the issue of a permit. Our first stop is at a waterlily-fringed
billabong; from this vantage point you overlook the rugged grandeur
of the country you are to travel through. This wondrous 4WD adventure
into Arnhem Land begins through the traditional homelands of the Bunidj
people at Cannon Hill. We have exclusive access to this culturally
rich and sensitive area. To the Bunidj, their land is very important
and you will gain an insight into the life of contemporary Aboriginal
people, their foods, medicines, art and the significance of their
cultural heritage through their strong ties to the land. Overnight
Gagudju Crocodile Hotel
Normanton.
Normanton started as a port on the river leading to the Gulf o
f
Carpentaria in 1867 and it became prosperous when gold was discovered
in Croydon. Today it is still a service and administration centre,
but more importantly a typical remote outback small town. Its 1500
residents are often cut off by road for weeks or months during the
wet season, and in addition are often either stuck in town from their
outlying homes and cattle stations or stuck at home unable to reach
town. We lunch at the landmark Purple Pub - once the
Albion Hotel which garnered fame when artist Captain Percy Tresize
drew a series of humorous paintings on the barroom walls. After lunch
we depart for Cairns, where we take a short 20 minute drive to delightful
Palm Cove, nestled on the picturesque North Queensland coastline.
The beach-side Sea Temple Resort will be your home for the next two
nights. Overnight Sea Temple Resort
Today
experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling at pristine
reefs.
Our tour allows for up to five hours on the reef to explore the dazzling
diversity of the underwater world. We travel out to
the Great Barrier on our fast boat, visiting at least two different
sites for an extraordinary array of marine life and coral species.
There are as many corals in a couple of acres of the Great Barrier
Reef as in the entire Caribbean. Morning tea is provided en route
before you arrive and begin preparations for your first viewing of
the reef. If you're snorkelling for the first time, or need a referesher,
the experienced crew will ensure that your day will be filled with
exhilaration 
and
delight. Brilliantly colored fish, giant clams, beche de mer and coral
outcrops can all be seen. Easy swimming in brings you over coral “bombies,”
heads of coral with their assortment of fishes, and hard and soft
corals. Parrot fish glean algae from the coral, and small and medium
predators search for food. Schools of fish twist and flash between
the outcrops. An occasional sea turtle may be seen. Following a hearty
tropical lunch sit back and relax as one of the crew enriches your
understanding of the marine life and delicate ecosystems you may encounter;
there is plenty of time for as much snorkeing as you want; or you
may want to try a resort dive or full dives for already certified
divers. On the way back gaze once more at this spectacular coast,
with its dense, green chaos of trees reaching down to the white sandy
beaches. Overnight Sea Temple Resort
arrier
Reef enroute. On approach you can admire two of Queensland
signature 
attractions
– Hervey Bay and Fraser Island from above. Upon arrival you
will be transferred by ferry to Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island.
Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a rare ecotourism experience. It is the
winner of numerous environmental, tourism and architectural awards,
and is in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings. This afternoon
is at leisure to enjoy your surrounds; some may opt for a spa treatment
at the in-house spa. Late afternoon you may want to take advantage
of a Fraser tradition; watching the sunset over the water and the
mainland hills from the beach. Fraser is noted for its innovative
and delicious cuisine, often featuring ingredients derived from Australian
native plants. Overnight Fraser Island Resort
Today
we discover Fraser by 4WD adventure touring. Fraser Island is the
largest sand island in the world and offers a feast of spectacular
sights and natural surrounds for to explore. Landmarks include Seventy
Five Mile Beach (it's jsut what it says!), The Cathedrals - 50 foot
high coloured sand cliffs, the wreck of Maheno - a trans-Tas
man
luxury liner beached in a cyclone n the 1930's, and slowly rusting
into oblivion. The Island is 75 miles long and varies from 4 to 13
miles wide. It covers an Wanggoolba Creek through the rainforest to
view the area of 184 000 sq. km and has sand dunes which rise to a
height of 240 m. It is estimated that the sands, 
which
make up Fraser Island reach over 600 m below the sea. Today you will
have the opportunity to walk through Pile Valley rainforest. Experience
Central Station, a former logging camp, which is now a rainforest
haven built on pure sand. Here and in other areas of this unique habitat
are the rare and endangered king ferns, found elsewhere as fossils
called coproliths, that is, fossilized dung, in this case that of
dinosaurs. You can also have a dip in the clear blue waters of Lake
McKenzie before we head back to the resort late afternoon. Overnight
Fraser Island Resort
n
route 
to
Sydney you will visit the charming rural township of Bellingen on
the New South Wales coast. Here you'll meet typical aussies, in a
small country town; however Bellingen has also become home to a thriving
cultural community. For those who have read Peter Carey's Oscar &
Lucinda, Bellingen and its river, the Bellinger, is the setting around
which the story revolves. Our Aircruise concludes in Sydney between
5.30pm – 6.00pm We say farewell to new friends and take away
memories of an unforgettable Australian adventure!